Singin' my heart out

[tinkpixie0621]

Okay…so for all those inquiring minds, here’s the karaoke story:

2 weeks ago, Aug. 12 (Mackers was performing, so I didn’t have to stay for the show), I’m driving home and I get a phone call from Gene. He, Dad, and Shannon are at “The Place”: a restaurant/bar up off Sandy Plains Road, and hey, there’s a karaoke contest, so captnsparrow and I should hurry up and get up there!

I swing by and pick up captnsparrow, and we head up. Every Thursday, they pick 5 people to compete in the finals at the end of the month. That night, I sang “Come to my Window” (Melissa Etheridge), “Walking on Broken Glass” (Annie Lennox), “That’s What I Like About You” (Tricia Yearwood), “Just a Girl” (No Doubt), and “Gold Dust Woman” (Fleetwood Mac)…which, by the way, I have been looking for since Kelley told me about 3 years ago that I should sing it. I’m not sure which of my songs got me in the finals, but I made it. So did my dad, probably with his rendition of “Mack the Knife,” which in my humble and totally biased opinion, he sings better than anyone except maybe Bobby Darin. Maybe.

Side note…captnsparrow didn’t make it to the finals, but he did do a hilarious and totally crowd-pleasing version of “Rainbow Connection” in Kermit voice. Hee!

So I wasn’t sure I could even get to The Place the night of the finals, because I had a performance of “The Tempest.” But, Dad and Shannon went by on Tuesday night (they have karaoke on both Tuesday and Thursday), and asked the KJ, Gator, what the deal was. Gator told them that the contest didn’t even get going until 9:30, and he’d make sure I went late in the rotation. Okay…fine…I’ll be there.

BOLT as soon as “Tempest” is over…well, after saying hi to Kel andAllison, Cathy and Charles, and Amanda, who’ve all come to see the show. (Hey…smiths_hammer and forestblend…missed seeing you!!!) Get there, there are 21 contestants, #12 is singing, I’m #15. Get some water, catch my breath, and get up to sing. I picked “That’s What I Like About You”, since it’s a catchy, fun tune that I know and I can sing even though I’m feeling a bit under the weather. My dad had already sung by the time I got there. I get up there and just give it my all…belt the heck out of the song, throw in as much personality and “cutesyness” as I can. Settle in for the other folks who have to sing. A couple of them are really good. There’s one guy who gets up to do “Dancing Queen” and is horrible, but a total ham. There’s a girl who really vamps it up…too bad all the judges are female. The last guy looks like Charles Manson meets Yoko-era John Lennon. Creepy. He places third…WTF? He wasn’t THAT good. The other two guys that place first and second I didn’t actually hear, but my dad said the guy who placed second was really good. The one who placed first, however, Shannon and the Cap’n saw smooching on the judges!!!

RIGGED!

Ugh.

I really shouldn’t get so excited about stuff like this, or get so disappointed when I don’t win, or at least place. But, cripes, I do this for a living. I studied voice in college. And I don’t mean to toot my own horn (TOOT!) but I really think I did better than most of the people I heard last night. Granted, I didn’t hear a good half of the singers, but c’mon. Neither my Dad nor I placed at all!? Yeah, it’s just a big ol’ popularity contest.

But ya know what? I had fun, and I know I sang well, and I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s just a stupid karaoke contest.

Speaking of which…I think it’s nigh time for another karaoke party. Yeah, I should plan one…in my copious amounts of free time…. ;)

Comments

[lasarigue.livejournal.com]

kareoke party? whee! count me in!

[crazyauntjaynie.livejournal.com]

You ROCKED THE HOUSE and it totally was rigged. All men won and the judges were ALL women. 'Nuff said. Good that you realize you know you are good. But it was fun to go and it was fun to sing. And I do believe it might be time for another karaoke party with REAL singers who do this for a living. And you do have all the karaoke equipment and Jim has the CD's. So start planning. Wouldn't take much!!!!!!
Love you!!!!!!

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

Yeah...only finding a night that I'm not already otherwise involved...

October, maybe?

Would you be willing to host it?

[crazyauntjaynie.livejournal.com]

You BET we'd be willing to host it. Just pick the night and send out the invites. October would be a good time. You only have ONE show that month. :) :) :)

[captnsparrow.livejournal.com]

Ya just have to remember karaoke is mostly sit at home people and not in bands/acting. It's their 15mins of fame. So the goofy redneck won but you have played for 1,000+ on tv, this maybe the closet he will ever get to that. Also, he isnt as cute as you ;)

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

Okay, good point. And I get to play wonderful roles every weekend and speak pretty Shakespeare verse and even sing some! Woo hoo! And get paid (not enough) for it! :)

And you're right...I'm way cuter. ;) (course, I'd be scared if YOU didn't think so...)

[ladychevalier.livejournal.com]

I would love to have heard you! i like your voice alot- it has alot of range and depth and isn't a run-of-the-mill everyday voice- it has character. Besides which, I tend to favor voices that can sing in the lower ranges more than the really high (I have to admit, I am *not* a Mariah Carey fan- no screaching for me!)... so I may be biased ;) ;)

**hugs**

p.s. if you have a karaoke party, count me in... as long as most everyone there is tipsy enough to think i sang ok! ;) ;) ;) hee hee!

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

Awww, thanks! Truth is, I can sing pretty high too, but I don't have as much volume up there. And I certainly can't (nor would I want to) do the Mariah screech. Yuk.

Dude, my karaoke parties are always fun, and yes, there'll be plenty of alcohol. Just ask Gene or Chaz about the first one! Woo!

You Was Framed

[yamguitar.livejournal.com]

What a drag!...but I agree with the Captain. This is as close as most of those other folks will ever get to a real performance experience...doing their version of someone else's number. But you get to do it for real all the time; you're an actual rock star (okay, maybe you don't get a rock star's paycheck, but you've got your own records and even fans). Ah, well, so those guys got over this time, but I'm sure none of them can really sing something new or original, or play the guitar, to say nothing of the flute. ;)
...and I must say, I've always hated "Mack the Knife" (I've always thought it was like lounge act water torture, the same thing overandoverandover with just a key change in between each...it's like hearing Wayne Newton sing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"), but even I loved listening to your dad sing it. :)

Re: You Was Framed

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I do so wish I got a rock stars' paycheck, but...you and the Cap'n are right...I get to do this ALL THE TIME and get paid for doing it. And I have fun. So I guess I should step aside and let them have their fun and get a little notoriety for it. Thanks, guys, for putting it back in perspective.

Oh goody, maybe my opinion of my dad singing "Mack the Knife" wasn't so biased after all. ;)

[supergoober.livejournal.com]

I SO do this all the time - tell myself, "It's no big deal, I'm not going to win" but secretly start preparing my acceptance speech. Then, when I don't win, I'm crushed. I can't even count the number of times I've been in situations like that. (The Eddie's Attic open mic comes to mind; nope, I've never won or even placed in the top three.)

Just remember that it's totally subjective, that you never know what the judges are going to like, and that when you perform is almost more important than how well you perform - just like gymnastics at the Olympics! :)

I have no doubt you kicked serious ass and will do so many more times!

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

So you know how I'm feeling right now. (And I'm still stunned that you haven't won an Eddie's Attic open mic night. You're so good and your songs are so clever! See I should be a judge.)

We both kick serious ass, contest winners or no. ;)

[blackwidowcrf.livejournal.com]

Not in October! It's CRF time and you were going to come up and visit me.. and, and.. well, I don't know when I can get to Atlanta again... whine, whine, pout, pout...

I've heard you sing karaoke at crazyauntjaynie's house, remember? I wouldn't sing cause ya'll were so good, even though I was getting tipsy. I thought karaoke was mostly for people who don't really sing that well - isn't that where it's the funniest? I've certainly entertained people in the past when I've gotten up to sing! hahahahahahahahaha But, you guys in ATL won't ever get me up to sing in front of you... I'd be wayyyy too embarrassed at how bad I would sound!

I forgot where I was going with this, except you rock! wheeeeee

[supergoober.livejournal.com]

Karaoke is for anyone who wants to sing a cover tune without having to take the time to learn the guitar chords - at least, that's the way I look at it. :)

The entertainment value others might get from listening to me sing karaoke is entirely secondary to the amusement I get out of doing it!

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

Ah, good point. Though captnsparrow and I were debating bringing our guitars to "The Place" next time around. ;) Wonder if that'd get us bonus points or disqualified?

And karaoke is fun, when there's no pressure of winning a competition. ;)

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

Oh phooey...you're right. Well, it'll have to wait until February, then. Ugh.

And I bet you'd have no reason to be embarassed about singing in front of us. We all love you anyway!!!

Pssst....are you coming to D*Con this weekend?

Love love love!

[sarahtree.livejournal.com]

I just have to say that this

"And I don’t mean to toot my own horn (TOOT!)"

is the cutest darn thing I have read in a long time :-)

[gypsyariana.livejournal.com]

Hee...thanks!

I may not be supermodel gorgeous or sex on a stick, but "cute"...that I can do. ;)